No Kidding (film)
Encyclopedia
No Kidding is a 1960
British comedy film
directed by Gerald Thomas
featuring Leslie Phillips
, Geraldine McEwan
and Irene Handl
, Noel Purcell
and Julia Lockwood
. The film is adapted from Verily Anderson
s novel Beware of Children.
) and Catherine Robinson (Geraldine McEwan
) move into a rundown country house. After a number of failed ventures, they are looking to build a solid business. They strike upon the idea of setting up a summer home for the children of the wealthy. They attract a number of customers, and hire a matron (June Jago
) and a cook (Joan Hickson
), and immediately fall foul of a local counciller
(Irene Handl
) who does not believe they should be allowed to look after children.
The family arrive and drop off their children. They range from polite, scared and helpful to wild, spoilt, rebellious children led by an American brother and sister, and an English fantasist girl (Julia Lockwood
) who tries to insist that she has been maltreated by her in fact kindly family.
As the children grow increasingly ill-disciplined, the staff and owners battle to keep them under control. The father advocates a tough approach while his wife beliefs that the children's freedom should be allowed to flourish. They are undermined by an increasingly drunken cook, and the wild antics of the children.
After an illicit midnight trip out to a nearby cafe, the children are grounded for two days. They also here that the local council are sending an inspector round, who is likely to close them down if they fail the test. They rally the staff and children, who behave correctly when the visitors come.
When the children's families come to collect them, they refuse to come down - wishing they could stay. They insist that in future they are treated better by their parents, to which the parents agree. The children depart. The Robinsons realising that they have now got financial security, they decided to fulfill their dream of having more children.
1960 in film
The year 1960 in film involved some significant events, with Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho the top-grossing release in the U.S.-Events:* April 20 - for the first time since coming home from military service in Germany, Elvis Presley returns to Hollywood, California to film G.I...
British comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
directed by Gerald Thomas
Gerald Thomas
Gerald Thomas was an English film director, born in Hull.-Early life:Thomas was training in medicine when the Second World War began. He then served in the British army during the war, in Europe and the Middle East...
featuring Leslie Phillips
Leslie Phillips
Leslie Samuel Phillips, CBE is an English actor with a highly recognisable upper class accent. Originally known for his work as a comedy actor, Phillips subsequently made the transition to character roles.-Early life:...
, Geraldine McEwan
Geraldine McEwan
Geraldine McEwan is an English actor with a diverse history in theatre, film, and television. From 2004 to 2009 she appeared as Miss Marple, the Agatha Christie sleuth, for the series Marple.-Background:...
and Irene Handl
Irene Handl
-Life:Irene Handl was born in Maida Vale, London, the daughter of an Austrian banker father and French mother. She took to acting at the relatively advanced age of 36, and studied at the acting school run by the sister of Dame Sybil Thorndike...
, Noel Purcell
Noel Purcell (actor)
Noel Purcell was an Irish film and television actor.-Career:Purcell began his show business career at the age of 12 in Dublin's Gaiety Theatre. Later, he toured Ireland in a vaudeville act with Jimmy O'Dea....
and Julia Lockwood
Julia Lockwood
Julia Lockwood is a British actress. She was born in Bournemouth, the daughter of British film star Margaret Lockwood....
. The film is adapted from Verily Anderson
Verily Anderson
Verily Anderson was a British writer, best known for writing the screenplay for No Kidding, based on the book Beware of Children, writing Brownie books and writing the genealogy books about the Gurney, Barclay and Buxton families...
s novel Beware of Children.
Plot
David (Leslie PhillipsLeslie Phillips
Leslie Samuel Phillips, CBE is an English actor with a highly recognisable upper class accent. Originally known for his work as a comedy actor, Phillips subsequently made the transition to character roles.-Early life:...
) and Catherine Robinson (Geraldine McEwan
Geraldine McEwan
Geraldine McEwan is an English actor with a diverse history in theatre, film, and television. From 2004 to 2009 she appeared as Miss Marple, the Agatha Christie sleuth, for the series Marple.-Background:...
) move into a rundown country house. After a number of failed ventures, they are looking to build a solid business. They strike upon the idea of setting up a summer home for the children of the wealthy. They attract a number of customers, and hire a matron (June Jago
June Jago
June Jago was an Australian actress.She made her stage debut in Australia and came to Britain in the 1950s with a touring production of Summer of the Seventeenth Doll...
) and a cook (Joan Hickson
Joan Hickson
Joan Hickson OBE was an English actress of theatre, film and television, famed for playing Agatha Christie's Miss Marple in the television series Miss Marple.- Wivenhoe :...
), and immediately fall foul of a local counciller
County council
A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries.-United Kingdom:...
(Irene Handl
Irene Handl
-Life:Irene Handl was born in Maida Vale, London, the daughter of an Austrian banker father and French mother. She took to acting at the relatively advanced age of 36, and studied at the acting school run by the sister of Dame Sybil Thorndike...
) who does not believe they should be allowed to look after children.
The family arrive and drop off their children. They range from polite, scared and helpful to wild, spoilt, rebellious children led by an American brother and sister, and an English fantasist girl (Julia Lockwood
Julia Lockwood
Julia Lockwood is a British actress. She was born in Bournemouth, the daughter of British film star Margaret Lockwood....
) who tries to insist that she has been maltreated by her in fact kindly family.
As the children grow increasingly ill-disciplined, the staff and owners battle to keep them under control. The father advocates a tough approach while his wife beliefs that the children's freedom should be allowed to flourish. They are undermined by an increasingly drunken cook, and the wild antics of the children.
After an illicit midnight trip out to a nearby cafe, the children are grounded for two days. They also here that the local council are sending an inspector round, who is likely to close them down if they fail the test. They rally the staff and children, who behave correctly when the visitors come.
When the children's families come to collect them, they refuse to come down - wishing they could stay. They insist that in future they are treated better by their parents, to which the parents agree. The children depart. The Robinsons realising that they have now got financial security, they decided to fulfill their dream of having more children.
Cast
- Leslie PhillipsLeslie PhillipsLeslie Samuel Phillips, CBE is an English actor with a highly recognisable upper class accent. Originally known for his work as a comedy actor, Phillips subsequently made the transition to character roles.-Early life:...
- David Robinson - Geraldine McEwanGeraldine McEwanGeraldine McEwan is an English actor with a diverse history in theatre, film, and television. From 2004 to 2009 she appeared as Miss Marple, the Agatha Christie sleuth, for the series Marple.-Background:...
- Catherine Robinson - Julia LockwoodJulia LockwoodJulia Lockwood is a British actress. She was born in Bournemouth, the daughter of British film star Margaret Lockwood....
- Fenella / 'Vanilla' - Irene HandlIrene Handl-Life:Irene Handl was born in Maida Vale, London, the daughter of an Austrian banker father and French mother. She took to acting at the relatively advanced age of 36, and studied at the acting school run by the sister of Dame Sybil Thorndike...
- Mrs Spicer - Noel PurcellNoel Purcell (actor)Noel Purcell was an Irish film and television actor.-Career:Purcell began his show business career at the age of 12 in Dublin's Gaiety Theatre. Later, he toured Ireland in a vaudeville act with Jimmy O'Dea....
- Tandy - Joan HicksonJoan HicksonJoan Hickson OBE was an English actress of theatre, film and television, famed for playing Agatha Christie's Miss Marple in the television series Miss Marple.- Wivenhoe :...
- Cook - June Jago - Matron
- Cyril RaymondCyril RaymondCyril William North Raymond MBE was a British character actor....
- Colonel Matthews - Esma CannonEsma CannonEsma Ellen Charlotte Cannon was a diminutive Australian-born character actress, who moved to England in the early 1930s.-Career:...
- District Nurse - Alan GiffordAlan Gifford-Selected filmography:* The Kangaroo Kid * A Yank in Ermine * The Flying Scot * Visa to Canton * Town Without Pity * Carry on Cowboy * Only When I Larf * Phase Four...
- Edgar Treadgold - Sydney TaflerSydney TaflerSydney Tafler , was a British film and television actor, first appearing in London's West End in 1936, after two years at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, with Sir Seymour Hicks in The Man in Dress Clothes....
- Mr Rockbottom - Brian OultonBrian OultonBrian Oulton was an English character actor.Born in Liverpool, he made his acting debut in 1939 as a lead actor...
- Vicar - Eric PohlmannEric PohlmannEric Pohlmann was an Austrian theatre, film and television character actor.Born Erich Pollak in Vienna, Austria-Hungary, he was a classically trained actor who studied under the renowned director Max Reinhardt...
- King - Patricia JesselPatricia JesselPatricia Helen Jessel was an English actress for stage and film...
- Queen - Brian RawlinsonBrian RawlinsonBrian Rawlinson was an English actor and writer who was prolific in films and TV from the 1950s....
- Will - Martin StephensMartin Stephens (actor)Martin Stephens is an English former child actor, best known for his performances in the films Village of the Damned and The Innocents...
- Angus